Friday, April 26, 2013

Couscous does resemble quinoa when cooked, but it is a form of pasta, not a seed like quinoa and taste less earthy than quinoa. Best of all, couscous cooks instantly! I love the "instant" part of it. Really.

These days when the weather gets too hot making me lose my appetite, such quick and light one-dishsalads are easy to turn to.

Couscous derives from the whole grains of durum flour which is derived from durum wheat. Compared to couscous, whole wheat couscous is made from semolina flour, which is the rough-milled endosperms of durum wheat, retaining the the bran and germ of the wheat berry, making it more nutritious than couscous. Whole wheat couscous cooks just as quickly as the regular variety. Add about 1.5 cup boiling water to 1 cup of couscous or whole wheat couscous, cover tightly for about five minutes for it to swell and viola! Such "instant" couscous are typically pre-steamed and dried, so takes less time to cook than most dried pasta. (Source: Healthy Eating, SFGate.com).